Angel of Song – Winner of the Bronze Medal in the 2016 Global Ebook Awards

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Anne Rouen Admin

I’m honoured and thrilled to share the news that my latest novel, Angel of Song, was just announced as Bronze Medalist in the Modern Historical Literature Fiction category of the 2016 Global Ebook Awards!

This is the second Global Ebook Award for the Master of Illusion series in the Historical Fiction category.

Thanks to the wonderful team at Dan Poynter’s Global Ebook Awards for their support of self-published authors across the globe and, of course, for awarding my work once again.

Check out this shiny medal! I feel like an Olympian!

Angel of Song by Anne Rouen, winner of the Bronze Medal in the 2016 Global Ebook Awards for Modern Historical Literature Fiction

Angel of Song – Underground Book Reviews’ Pitch Perfect Winner

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Anne Rouen Admin

Thanks to the wonderful people at Underground Book Reviews for picking Angel of Song as a Pitch Perfect Finalist, and a huge hug of gratitude to everyone who voted for it to make it the weekly Pitch Perfect Pick!

Underground Book Reviews are an amazing group of people who are completely dedicated to supporting Indie Authors like me.

Their website provides a platform for authors and readers to find the best new Indie releases. They have a weekly e-magazine and provide quality reviews. It’s a great place to find your latest favourite book!

As Angel of Song is a Pitch Perfect Winner, it will feature in an upcoming article in the UBR magazine. So, why not take a look at their awesome magazine and website? Just click here: Underground Book Reviews.

Angel of Song, Underground Book Reviews Pitch Perfect Pick of the Week!

Master of Illusion – Silver Medal Winner in the 2014 Global Ebook Awards

Posted on August 21, 2014 by Anne Rouen

Winner of the Silver Medal in the 2014 Global Ebook Awards

I guess it is the dream of every author to have the magical words ‘award-winning’ after their name; and I am so thankful to Dan Poynter and his wonderful team of judges for making this dream come true for me with my debut novel Master of Illusion – Book One.

There are so many to thank for believing in my work and encouraging and supporting me in the sometimes lonely and daunting business of self-publishing: my family, friends and all my lovely fans: I cannot thank you enough.

All your wonderful reviews and ratings moved me to tears and sent shivers up my spine; and I vow to do my best to ensure that future works do not fall below standard.

The word ‘standard’ brings to mind another of my precepts: It does not matter whether the publishing is ‘self’ or conventional: it must be correctly and professionally edited and formatted. And here I must thank my fabulous, long-suffering editor for her meticulous attention to detail, tireless hard work and consummate professionalism. We set out on a remarkable adventure that was new to both of us and we leapt off a cliff into the unknown to land on a silver cloud. Thank you, beyond words, for helping me to turn my dream into reality.

So many people have aided me in my transformation from closet writer to award-winning author that I cannot name you all: fellow authors; the wonderful people at the ASA; my townspeople who stop me in the street to tell me how proud of me they are; the ACC and my solicitor friend who checked the copyright; and many more:

Including my dear, late friend, Beth, with whom I discussed my ideas for the book, almost on a daily basis. Sadly, I finished it too late for her to read it; my friend, Diane, who encouraged me to get my manuscripts off the wardrobe floor and do something about them; and my sister who is a slow but beautifully honest first reader. (I promise you: I am white-knuckled until she pronounces her verdict!)

If I haven’t named you: you know who you are; and I thank you from the depths of my being.

When I found a lump in my breast in December 2006, I had no idea that my subsequent, incredible journey would lead me to a silver medal in the Global eBook Awards for Historical Fiction Literature – Modern.

How thankful I am that Positives rule!

A Muse on Reviews: Ethics

Posted on September 24, 2013 by Anne Rouen

Reviews under review. Photo courtesy Imagerymajestic Digitalphotos.net

As an author, I find it uplifting to receive a ‘good’ review. It is equally devastating to receive a ‘bad’ one. Especially, if it is unjustified.

Most professional reviewers take the task seriously. Authors wait on tenterhooks for their valued opinions. Professional reviews carry a lot of weight.

These wonderful people give their time, insight and considered judgement. Their reviews, whether favourable or unfavourable, are always constructive, sending a vital message to the author.

Customer reviews are essential to an author’s credibility and we are so grateful that our readers take time to say what they think. The majority are positive, but some are not.

If you are thinking of giving an unfavourable review, I would ask you to consider the following: Is it ethical to slam a book because:

You don’t like a character?
You don’t like a dynamic?
You don’t understand the genre?
You think the story should have a different ending?
You don’t realise it is one of a series and legitimately leaves questions to be answered in subsequent titles?

Have you taken into account:

The quality of the writing?
The strength and believability of the characters?
The authenticity of the setting?
The correctness of the language for its era?
The twists and engagement of the plot?

It is the responsibility of the author to present a polished work, the creation of his/her mind, in a professional and interesting form. It is equally the responsibility of the reviewer to acknowledge this fact.

If you must give a book an unfavourable review, by all means do so, but back it up with valid reasons that provide useful feedback for the author. The review will then be a relatively positive experience for both.

So much better, don’t you think?

Then there are the ratings. How we look for the magical 5 stars! I wonder if you know that there are differences between some platforms about the meanings of the ‘star’ rating. Amazon, for example, regards a 3 star rating as a negative, recognising only 4 and 5 star ratings in their rankings, whilst sites such as Goodreads, recognise a 3 star rating as a positive. Before you decide on your rating I would recommend having a look at this, rather than giving a book a negative rating, when perhaps you did not mean to.

Yes, we authors love ‘good’ reviews. Who wouldn’t? Yes, we hate ‘bad’ ones.(Ditto.) But we’re OK if they’re ethical and make a fair point. We are mostly happy to learn something to improve our writing and thus our readers’ experience. It is what it is about, after all.

Where’s the Risk?

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Anne Rouen

Surprise yourself and read a self-published author (eBook Friendly)

My book, Master of Illusion, shared ebook friendly’s photo on Facebook telling readers to surprise themselves and read a self-published book. Master of Illusion is like that: he sometimes takes his own initiative when it comes to his Facebook page.

But it set me wondering: Why do readers feel it is such a risk to read a self-published book?

Before I self-published, I researched the opinions of many self-publishers and readers.

So, if the risks for the reader are:

That you will spend less than the price of a cup of coffee on an ebook.
That you may become intensely irritated by grammatical errors and/or poor expression.
The characters may be stilted and one dimensional.
The story might be boring; or the end leave you unsatisfied and feeling you have wasted precious hours of your time.

Then the answer is twofold:

a). Choose self-published books that have been professionally edited. All of the above will have been taken care of, and

b). Reading the free PDF download of 10 – 20% on the author website will give you a good idea if it is your sort of book. And if you must, must read on, well and good.

For the self-publisher, on the other hand, the risks can be daunting, both in time, investment and sending you out of your comfort zone. Basically, you put your money where your mouth is (or your pen).

Not only that, but you must take charge of the whole publishing process, doing all the hundred-and-one things a conventional publishing company does for its author, including publicity.

And the greatest risk of all – that your beloved baby you have laboured over for so long will be torn to pieces when it goes out into the world. Or worse, ignored.

But for the author/publisher there is also the unparalleled joy of doing something you love. It is amazingly fulfilling.

Nothing compares with:

the excitement of seeing your book for the first time on the shelves of Amazon, Smashwords and all the other platforms available to ebook authors.
the privilege you feel when someone has taken the time to read your book and the humble delight when they say they loved it. That is so special.
the sheer indescribable ecstasy of receiving a 5 out of 5 star review from someone in a country across the globe; and watching your book rise in the International ebook authors top ten, pinching yourself to make sure it’s real!

For me, as a self-published author, all the above and the fun of forming my own business StoneHut Publishing, was worth the risk, whatever the outcome. (We breast cancer survivors don’t have time to wait twenty years for a publisher to notice us: we just want to get on with it.)

Matthew Reilly took the risk and self-published his first book Contest. His millions of readers are glad that he did. And he is one of the most positive people I have ever met.

So go on, read a self-published book. What’s the risk? You might actually enjoy it – and have your coffee too.